Have you played any of the previous four Professor Layton games? Yes? Then you know exactly what to expect here. Thanks for reading!
If you haven’t played any of them yet, think of them as a collection of puzzles (135 in the main narrative, optional downloadable unlocks, a few mini-games and, if you’re good enough at the latter, 15 incredibly difficult bonus puzzles) hidden amongst the scenery and population of a whimsical adventure starring the London gentleman and archaeology professor Hershel Layton, his young apprentice Luke Triton and, returning from Last Specter, research assistant Emmy Altavia. The details of each narrative differ from title to title, but they all involve a bunch of mysteries (many apparently supernatural in nature) that the Professor and company will have to work out as they progress. Along the way, they will encounter a variety of bizarre characters, almost all of whom will eventually force them to solve some sort of puzzle for whatever random reason. READ MORE
The escape-the-room visual novel 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (999), developed by Chunsoft and localized/published by Aksys, was a daring departure from typical DS fare when it arrived Stateside in late 2010. A mature title in both content and tone, it took any player who dared to brave its numerous walls of text on a wild ride of original story, well-developed characters, a crazy premise and puzzle-rich gaming segments. 999 quickly gained a loyal cult following and earned rave reviews from the scant handful of people who actually played it.
And somehow, against all odds and expectations by even the most ardent fan, we got a sequel. READ MORE
Kingdom Hearts is one of the oddest collaborations in gaming. For a game that began through a chance encounter in an elevator, it’s become one of Square Enix’s most beloved games, and one of Disney’s most successful forays into the industry (despite a good track record). While the series has had a few ups and downs, it remains a clear example of how a collaborative effort can lead to great success, and this remains true in this first entry on the 3DS. READ MORE
At first, Johnny Kung Fu appears to have potential, with its mix of retro electronic-gaming-inspired gameplay and the kung fu combat levels. Unfortunately, it takes less than 15 minutes to realize it squanders this potential by doing absolutely nothing with it. READ MORE
The pitch is an enticing one: how about a deep, downloadable RPG from the creators of Mutant Mudds and Bomb Monkey, with an Animal Crossing-like aesthetic and Paper Mario-inspired active turn-based combat? It seems like those ingredients would come together to make Planet Crashers an attractive package. That may have been the problem, though; with such a strong premise, it seems like there just wasn’t enough thought put into making everything work like it should, and the result is a game with too many rough spots and no clear audience. READ MORE
